Why I Started & Stopped Getting Colonics For Gut Health

Colon hydrotherapy, otherwise known as a colonic, is a natural alternative medicine treatment. The Association of Registered Colon Hydrotherapists describes it as "a gentle wash out of the colon or large intestine, using warm water to remove waste matter, rehydrate, and exercise the bowel." While this procedure is not safe for all bowel conditions, I decided to try it since Western medicine provided me with no relief, and my body had just about had enough.

At that juncture, I realized I wasn’t interested in another symptom treatment but was finally ready to face the root cause. I was using colon hydrotherapy quarterly, when my IBS-C was so severe and uncomfortable that I couldn’t self-treat anymore. I needed to acknowledge that my IBS-C was caused by my diet and unhealthy lifestyle at the time. I knew I needed to make behavior modifications and stop using colonics as a quick fix to feel better. Once I got a handle on my behavior, I found I didn’t need to rely on colonics so heavily anymore. Below are the five reasons I no longer need colonics and am able to manage my IBS symptoms myself:

The first step to treating the cause was learning to communicate with my body in its language. After a session with an intuitive healer, I began to understand that stomachaches and pains were my body’s way of telling me something wasn't right. I learned to honor my body’s intelligence and stopped pushing and demanding so much from it. I tuned into how I felt after certain foods and drinks and began to learn what worked and what didn’t.

Anyone who suffers from IBS-C knows the challenges posed by eating hard-to-digest foods: abdominal pain, bloating, and discomfort are very familiar feelings. Instead of avoiding the foods that caused trouble, I would binge on them, drink through the pain, and use laxatives. It seemed too difficult to turn down Mexican food and margaritas with friends, but eventually I had to learn to be firm with myself. As I started to embrace a more holistic life, I knew I couldn’t continue drinking or using laxatives as frequently as I was. I changed those behaviors and also made modifications to the foods I was eating. I used a low-FODMAP and other IBS diets to learn which foods would be easiest for me to naturally digest. I stopped my trigger food binges and added digestive enzymes to work on achieving balance in my diet and digestion.

As the father of medicine Hippocrates said, "All disease begins in the gut." I knew that if I wanted to heal my IBS I would have to heal my gut. I added daily probiotics to my diet and swapped my evening wine for kombucha. Adding these tools relieved the bloat I was carrying and helped my digestion become more "regular," if you get my drift.

My doctor felt that my IBS stemmed from stress and suggested I try yoga. At first I dabbled, but when I got serious about healing, I got serious about my yoga practice, too. As I noticed I was feeling better, I enrolled in yoga teacher training to learn more. If I experienced IBS symptoms I would sequence poses together that helped with digestion. As my internal philosophies about yoga and healing changed, I witnessed my external body and frequency of symptoms change as well.

Concerned about your gut health? Here are five signs that your digestive problems are more serious than you think.